FIRE DEPARTMENT

CITY OF NEW YORK

MARINE OPERATIONS STRATEGY

December 1, 2010

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg

Fire Commissioner Salvatore J. Cassano
Chief of Department Edward S. Kilduff

FDNY MARINE OPERATIONS STRATEGY

 FIRE DEPARTMENT
9 METROTECH CENTER BROOKLYN, NY 11201-3857

S ince 9/11, the Department has made significant progress in preparing for fires,
emergencies, natural disasters and terrorist events. On the water, Marine Operations has

O
worked consistently to develop and expand its preparedness for a multitude of hazards in the
Port of New York and New Jersey. The constantly shifting challenges of protecting the Citys
Harbor mandate that we address todays threats, while keeping an eye to the future. To that
end, we have developed a vision and strategy that will define our preparedness objectives and
clarify our lifesaving response objectives. As we move toward full realization of those
objectives, we recognize that grant funding from the Department of Homeland Security has
been critically important in the FDNYs ability to modernize its fleet and build the resources
necessary to meet the demands of the post-9/11 environment.

Using the cross-sector experience of the FDNY and Harvard Business School, the Department
has developed this Marine Operations Strategy. This document provides a vision for enhanced
prevention, response and recovery. The strategy presents a coordinated approach to
planning, training and equipping initiatives to meet the dynamic needs of the Harbor
community. As we consider the threats of today and tomorrow, it is important that we
identify the critical uncertainties in our environment, reframe our thinking and develop a
flexible strategic vision for the future.

The Marine Operations Strategy provides an innovative framework for an effective and efficient
response to a variety of emergencies and threats in the Harbor. We thank all who participated
in this important initiative.

Salvatore J. Cassano Edward S. Kilduff

Fire Commissioner Chief of Department

FDNY MARINE OPERATIONS STRATEGY

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Marine Operations: Mission and Vision ....................................................... 1

Marine Operations Tiered Response 3

II. Firefighting Capabilities for the Harbor ..................................................... 5

Firefighting Capability, Capacity and Delivery 5
Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources 6
Maintaining Bridge Structural Integrity 7
Water Evacuation 7
Water Supply for Land-Based Firefighting Operations 8

III. Water Rescues and Medical Emergencies .................................................... 9

Medical Triage, Treatment and Transport 9
Water Rescue Operations 10
Coastal Flooding and Hurricane Response 10

IV. CBRN and Hazardous Material Capabilities ............................................... 11

Responding to CBRN and Hazardous Material Incidents 11
Command and Control Platforms 12
Safety Monitoring 12
Dispersing Vapor Clouds 12

V. Life Safety Prevention and Protection Initiatives ........................................ 13

Risk Assessment and Risk Reduction 13
Expanding Harbor Detection 13
Pre-Planned Events 14

VI. Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 15

VII. Appendices ....................................................................................................... 16

Appendix A: FDNY Marine Operations Vessels 16
Appendix B: Acknowledgments and References 17

FDNY MARINE OPERATIONS STRATEGY

I. MARINE OPERATIONS: MISSION AND VISION

Three Forty Three, the FDNYs newly commissioned boat.

FDNY is committed to ensuring that the public has access to the equivalent lifesaving and
firefighting capabilities on water as they do on land. Fire Commissioner Salvatore J. Cassano

The New York City Fire Department
(FDNY) developed a Marine Operations
Strategy to meet the growing challenges and
vulnerabilities in the Port of New York and New
Jersey. Marine Operations provides multi-
faceted response for firefighting, water rescue,
medical evacuation and treatment, hazardous
material mitigation and decontamination and
state-of-the-art command and control equipment
for complex maritime events.
This Strategy presents a new vision on
how the Departments modern fireboats,
arranged into a highly flexible Tiered Response
System (layered resources), will provide unique
lifesaving capabilities for incidents on or near
the water--a truly 21st century marine
firefighting concept. The Strategy, which is
aligned with the Department of Homeland
Securitys (DHS) strategic objectives, clearly
illustrates the important role that fireboats play
in protecting the Harbor--from routine
emergencies, to large-scale crises--not just
today, but into the future.
The Harbor is critical to the economic
success and livelihood of many in this region.
As the third largest port in the United States, the
Harbor supports $166 billion in annual trade and
takes delivery of a large portion of the
petroleum used on the eastern seaboard.
The Harbor is also an important conduit
for 20 million people living in the region. New
York City has more than 60 bridges and tunnels
and 20 million commuters travel on the Staten
Island Ferry each year.

FDNY MARINE OPERATIONS STRATEGY 1

 The Harbor is constantly active with
commerce, tourism and transportation. Every
day, container ships carrying a variety of goods
arrive at marine terminals to be loaded and
unloaded. Also, massive oil tankers deliver
their product to petroleum barges, which then
make the final transfer to nearby oil refineries.
Daily commuters use water ferries
serving many routes to avoid bumper-to-bumper
vehicle traffic in tunnels and on bridges.
Tourists arrive and depart by the hundreds, even
thousands, at cruise ship terminals in Manhattan
and Brooklyn. And New York Citys residents
and visitors enjoy the Harbors 600 miles of
shoreline seven days a week.
On a daily basis, this complex,
choreographed and interdependent series of
activities operates with amazing efficiency.
However, accidents, natural disasters and
terrorism are constant threats. An inferno could
engulf ships and piers; a ship carrying fuel oil
could catch fire and sink in a shipping channel,
halting all commercial traffic; a large gasoline
or chemical tanker-truck fire could compromise
the structural integrity of a bridge; a coastal
flood could trap scores of people; or terrorists
could use improvised incendiary or explosive
devices on ferries that could place thousands of
people in extreme danger.
FDNY All-Hazards Life Safety Mission
To save lives, reduce risks and mitigate
dangerous hazards.
To address these threats, minimize risks,
respond to incidents and restore waterways to
normal, the Harbor has a network of public and
private partners that work together. As a
member of this security network, FDNY Marine
Operations provides critical and irreplaceable
resources for the Harbor.
The core mission of the FDNY is to
ensure life safety. Actions related to life safety
supersede other objectives during an incident.
Life safety operations refer to strategic and
tactical measures implemented in response to
imminent hazards or threats to life. FDNY
2 FDNY MARINE OPERATIONS STRATEGY
Marine Operations understands its role at the
nexus of port protection and operates within the
Departments life safety mission on the water
and coastline.
FDNY Marine Operations Mission
To protect lives and property within the Port
of New York and New Jersey and
surrounding regions by responding to fires,
water rescues, hazardous material incidents,
medical emergencies and maritime disasters.
In collaboration with port security partners,
Marine Operations advances public safety
through incident prevention, harbor
protection and safety education. The robust
and timely response of FDNYs Marine
Operations protects the Port of New York
and New Jersey and strengthens homeland
security efforts.
The mission of Marine Operations to
protect life and property applies to all types of
incidents and extends from hazard prevention
and mitigation to recovery. Fire and emergency
medical services long have been recognized as
the lead agencies for life safety mitigation
activities, which the National Response Plan
(NRP) describes as those designed to reduce or
eliminate risks to persons or property or to
lessen the actual or potential effects or
consequences of an incident. With emergency
medical training as Certified First Responders
with Defibrillator (CFR-D), Marine Operations
Firefighters can access and treat patients
expeditiously and effectively within a maritime
setting.
Recognizing the roles it performs in port
security, FDNY Marine Operations requires
response resources that can quickly increase or
decrease scale to a variety of dangerous
incidents. Accordingly, FDNY has invested in
maritime assets that are fast, strong and agile.
FDNYs fleet of fireboats is a
combination of fast and light fireboats for rapid
water rescue and large and powerful boats to
manage large-scale events or disasters. This
permits Marine Operations to develop a flexible
response strategy for both fires and
emergencies.
Marine Operations Tiered Response
To ensure the optimal availability and
distribution of response resources, FDNY
established a Marine Operations Tiered
Response System. Tiered response is a system
of layered resources, with each layer containing
incrementally higher levels of special response
capabilities. This system enables the
Department to rapidly deploy the appropriately
scaled mix of specialty units in a manner that is
responsive to an incidents escalation or
recession, while also maintaining adequate
capabilities to manage additional incidents and
FDNY MARINE OPERATIONS STRATEGY
coverage throughout the entire Harbor. To
protect life and property, the Marine Operations
Strategy employs a tiered response to get the
right asset to the scene quickly.
By training Marine Operations personnel
in a variety of response capabilities at
incremental proficiency levels and strategically
placing fireboats, the Tiered Response System
maximizes FDNYs capabilities for response in
a manner that is highly effective, economically
efficient and sustainable over time.
3
Class 1High-Performance Fireboats Hoboken, New Jersey, caught fire, Marine
Operations used a rapid response fireboat,
The top tier features the Departments
whose smaller size allowed it to navigate better
high-performance fireboats, which have
within the marina and stopped the fire from
specialized equipment for water and ship rescue,
spreading to the pier or other boats.
firefighting, medical treatment, hazardous
material detection, mitigation and technical
decontamination. This class of large, high-
performance fireboats has the capacity to
manage and control difficult, water-borne
disasters. The 140-foot fireboats provide the
only chemical, biological, radiological and
nuclear (CBRN) command and control platform
in the Harbor and the largest everyday response
platforms for the port. FDNY intends to make
this command and control platform available to
the United States Coast Guard, Port Authority of
New York and New Jersey, law enforcement, Class 2Rapid Response boat.
health, other fire departments, environmental
Class 3MARC Flood Boats
agencies and those who share, as partners,
responsibility for the Harbor. Marine Operations tiered response at
the operational level is composed of more than
3000 land-based Firefighters who receive
special training in marine firefighting. This
allows these land-based Firefighters to be
deployed with the fireboats for shipboard
firefighting or operate one of FDNYs 25
Marine Auxiliary Rescue Craft (MARC), used
primarily for flood rescues during coastal storms
or hurricanes. Firefighting units located near the
waterway are equipped and trained for cold-
water surface and surf rescues.

Class 1--The new, 140-foot, Three Forty Three fireboat.

Class 2Rapid Response Fireboats

The rapid response tier features a 33-foot
fireboat and 31-foot medical boats. Year round,
FDNY has at least 11 boats available in the
water and, during the summer season, a total of
14 boats are operational. Combined with the
larger, high-performance fireboats, these boats
get underway first to make rapid rescues (up to Class 3MARC boat.
20 people per boat), even in shallow water, or to
extinguish small fires with a flow capacity
comparable to an engine company. For example,
when a large recreation boat docked in

4 FDNY MARINE OPERATIONS STRATEGY

2
II. FIREFIGHTING CAPABILITIES FOR THE HARBOR

Brooklyn Box 10-10-0036, Greenpoint Terminal Market, May 2, 2006.

The following fires caused the greatest loss of life in New York City history:
June 15, 1904Fire onboard the passenger ship General Slocum in the East River1021 died.
September 11, 2001World Trade Center attacks2750 were killed.

Firefighting Capability, Capacity and Fires--especially large-scale ones--on

Delivery
As on land, fires on the water pose a
significant risk to life and property. However,
on water, there are additional risks to both
victims and responders. Without adequate
resources, boat and ship fires often spread
rapidly, jeopardizing lives, vessels or other
structures. Additionally, 30 billion gallons of oil
are exchanged in the Harbor each year. The
potential for ignition or spill could create
massive fires and mega-environmental disasters.
commercial vessels at critical locations could
halt shipping operations within the Harbor for
days. A halt to shipping into the Harbor is
estimated at $450 million in lost commerce per
day. Also at risk are the thousands of domestic
and foreign vessels that visit the Harbor
annually.
In 2009, the Harbor averted disaster
when FDNY, led by Marine Operations,
responded to the CSL Atlas, a 700-foot coal
ship, which had 12,800 tons of coal burning on
it. Using Marine Operations firefighting

FDNY MARINE OPERATIONS STRATEGY 5

resources, the partners successfully mitigated
the situation, protected the ship and maintained
normal Harbor operations. In 2003, a gasoline
barge exploded at Port Mobil on Staten Island.
Fireboats operated for days to control the
incident.
Staten Island Box 3-3-4197, Port Mobil, February 21, 2003.
To ensure safety and minimize property
damage, FDNY Marine Operations responds to
all fires in New York City east to Long Island,
west to New Jersey and up the Hudson River.
As a regional asset, FDNY uses its tiered
response approach to ensure a fast, strong and
agile response.
Rapid response fireboats can travel at
more than 50 mph and pump 1000 gallons of
water a minute, which is equivalent to a single
land-based pumper. These rapid response
fireboats can extinguish small fires or contain
and prevent fires from spreading.
However, for large fires, the high-
performance fireboats are needed. The 140-foot
class of high-performance fireboats can pump
up to 50,000 gallons of water per minute, which
is equivalent to that of 50 land-based fire
engines. Using the total capacity of all its
fireboats, FDNY has the ability to pump an
impressive 150,000 gallons per minute.
During firefighting operations, FDNYs
high-performance fireboats also can maintain a
ships ballast by using the reduced weight of
foam concentrate and/or Purple K dry chemical
6 FDNY MARINE OPERATIONS STRATEGY
extinguishing agent, in lieu of water, to quickly
extinguish petroleum-based fires. This reduces
the risk of subsequent ship instability caused by
an excess application of water.
Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources
FDNY Marine Operations firefighting
capabilities not only are important for vessels in
the Harbor, but are an integral component of
FDNYs overall strategy in protecting critical
infrastructure. The Harbor has 150 key assets of
national significance, including structures of
economic (cargo ports and bridges), energy
(electrical power plants, gas and petroleum fuel
depots) and political or iconic importance,
including the United Nations and the Statue of
Liberty. As indicated in the 2009 National
Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP), an
incident involving critical infrastructure could
be extremely disruptive and have a cascading
impact on the community and country.
Marine Operations tiered approach
allows resources to be efficiently deployed to
support operations and minimize damage to
critical infrastructure on the Harbor-facing sides
where land-based equipment cannot reach. For
example, the high-performance fireboats can
provide water for major fires at the Statue of
Liberty and are powerful enough to reach any
location on Liberty Island. Marine Operations
allows FDNY to offer an expanded and more
comprehensive response to critical infrastructure
protection on or near the water.
Staten Island Box 3-3-4197, Port Mobil, February 21, 2003.
Maintaining Bridge Structural Integrity
Bridges are vital to New York Citys
prosperity because they allow people and goods
to move within and into the City. For example,
more than 100 million vehicles use the George
Washington Bridge annually. An accident or
fire could threaten the structural integrity of the
bridge steel (similar to what happened to the
World Trade Center towers on September 11,
2001). Yet, structural steel can retain its strength
if it is cooled with copious amounts of water.
FDNY land-based firefighting
equipment may not be able to reach some of the
most critical bridge supports. However, high-
performance boats can pump cooling water onto
these supports with their powerful water
cannons, which can reach a horizontal distance
of more than 700 feet, high enough to project a
stream of water to the deck of the Verrazano
Bridge. In 2009, fireboats extinguished a fire
and cooled structural steel on the Throgs Neck
Bridge. And, in September 2010, the Kevin C.
Kane extinguished a fire, which was out of
reach of land-based units, on the Metro-North
Bridge in the Harlem River.
Metro-North Bridge fire, September 2010.
Furthermore, securing the structural
integrity of a bridge during a fire also ensures
that critical transportation arteries remain
accessible. For example, 90 percent of all ship
traffic into the Harbor goes under the Verrazano
Bridge. If the goods-carrying ships could not
FDNY MARINE OPERATIONS STRATEGY
pass underneath because it was structurally
unsound or collapsed, the economic impact
would be enormous for each day the shipping
channel remained closed.
Water Evacuation
FDNY boats are critical to saving lives.
While some other Harbor partners have the
ability to evacuate a small number of people
from disabled ships, only the FDNY is trained
and equipped to perform evacuation when the
rescue ship is exposed to hazardous situations,
such as fires or chemical conditions during the
rescue.
New York and New Jersey Harbor is
filled each day with ferries, sightseeing boats,
water taxis and recreational boats. FDNYs
fireboats can prevent people from becoming
trapped on burning ships without an escape.
Today, the Staten Island Ferry carries 4000
people during peak hours. If a fire broke out
from a bomb, disabling the ferry, 4000 people
would have to be rescued.
In 1904, when FDNY assets were
limited, a massive boat fire on the passenger
ship General Slocum erupted and killed 1021
people in the East River. This was the largest
one-day loss of life in New York City history
until September 11, 2001.
The General Slocum.
To avoid another tragic event, FDNY
has expanded its capacity so its fireboats will be
able to evacuate 500 people per trip and
extinguish large volumes of fire. Of these, 300
people can be evacuated using hydraulics, a
7
special feature of the high-performance
fireboats that allows their height to be adjusted
to align with a vessel in distress (similar to
kneeling buses). The agility and capacity of
these fireboats facilitate safer disembarking,
especially for the injured or individuals with
special needs.
Water Supply for Land-Based Firefighting
Operations
Today, FDNYs land-based units rely on
a system of fire hydrants for water to quench
raging fires. If the hydrant system was
compromised and could not provide water, land-
Manhattan Box 5-5-8087, WTC, September 11, 2001.
based firefighting would be severely limited.
Without water, fires would continue to spread, fireboats were the only water source available
eventually reaching a point of conflagration in for the first four days to fight the fires at the
which the fire cannot be contained until it has World Trade Center. Without the water from the
run out of material to burn. This has occurred fireboats, multiple fires could have spread
multiple times throughout history, including the beyond the 16 acres of destruction.
Great New York City Fire of 1835, the Chicago
If a significant event renders the land-
Fire of 1871 and the San Francisco Fire after the
based fire hydrants inoperable, FDNYs high-
1906 earthquake.
performance fireboats can provide access to
While it may seem unlikely that fire water through large-diameter hose for
hydrants would dry up, it is still a real firefighting anywhere in Manhattan. These boats
possibility to have a major water main can provide enough water volume, using relay
disruption. The 9/11 attacks rendered hydrants pumpers, to provide water across Manhattans
inoperable on several surrounding blocks in widest point at 14th Street.
lower Manhattan. FDNY Marine Operations

Commissioning OrdersFDNY Fireboat Three Forty Three

We hereby appoint you, the Captain of Marine Company One,
as the Commander of Fireboat Three Forty Three.

Furthermore, we direct you to place her in service as soon as possible,

so that she may serve and protect all those residents and visitors to New York City.

May you keep our coastlines and waterways safe.

By Orders of:
Salvatore J. Cassano, Fire Commissioner
Edward S. Kilduff, Chief of Department
1830 hours, May 26, 2010

8 FDNY MARINE OPERATIONS STRATEGY

III. WATER RESCUES AND MEDICAL EMERGENCIES

Manhattan Box 868, across from West 45th Street, January 15, 2009.

Using Marine Operations tiered response, fireboats rescued 20 people from the wings of US Airways
Flight 1549 in the Hudson River and towed the sinking plane out of commercial shipping lanes.
January 15, 2009
Medical Triage, Treatment and Transport staffed with certified first responders with
defibrillators. These boats can quickly transport
Marine Operations serves a key role in personnel to provide oxygen and other basic
deploying FDNYs medical response emergency medical care.
capabilities in the Harbor by providing medical
triage, treatment and transport. Boat passengers Additionally, FDNY is in the process of
and crew personnel experience the same procuring a number of rapid response medical
medical emergencies that occur on land and, boats that will be the only certified water
thus, require comparable medical attention. ambulances in the Harbor. These boats can be
Marine Operations provides the primary staffed with EMTs and Paramedics when
response to such medical emergencies. required to respond to routine or catastrophic
events. FDNYs rapid response boats also can
FDNY Marine Operations relies heavily transport land-based EMS personnel to an
on its fast, strong and agile capabilities in incident when necessary.
addressing most medical emergencies in the
Harbor. Each FDNY rapid response fireboat is

FDNY MARINE OPERATIONS STRATEGY 9

 To speed up medical transfer to land-
based ambulances, FDNY Marine Operations is
acquiring four-wheel-drive gators with trailers,
which can drive on beaches and non-paved
terrain to increase the number of patient water-
to-land transfer points.
FDNY flatbed truck with gator and boat trailer.
For larger-scale medical emergencies
(mass casualties) requiring significant medical
triage, treatment and transport capabilities,
FDNY Marine Operations can leverage its high-
performance fireboats platforms to gather, treat
and transport people. Each of the two 140-foot
high-performance fireboats can transport 150
non-ambulatory patients or up to 500 people
who can self-evacuate.
Water Rescue Operations
FDNY Marine Operations resources are
vital to expanding the Harbors overall water
rescue capacity. While multiple partners have
vessels capable of responding to a person-in-
the-water emergency, no single partner has the
capacity to provide full coverage. Thus, water
rescue is a multi-agency task. Every year, about
500 emergency rescue calls occur in the Harbor.
Approximately 50 percent of FDNY Marine
Operations calls involve people in the water
and the total number of calls is on the rise.
FDNY Marine Operations has the
capability to conduct water rescues (requiring
cold-water or dry suits), transport FDNY
SCUBA divers or provide vessel towing in life-
threatening incidents. Both rapid response and
high-performance fireboats carry cold-water
suits, allowing Firefighters to safely enter the
10 FDNY MARINE OPERATIONS STRATEGY
water to reach victims. FDNY divers can be
transported and enter the water from any FDNY
fireboat and the high-performance fireboats are
equipped with special diving platforms for
rescue operations.
Each 140-foot fireboat carries a 17-foot
rapid response boat that can be quickly
launched. Marine Operations search
capabilities are enhanced by thermal imaging
cameras and searchlights. Water rescues could
involve a single person in the water or hundreds
requiring assistance. The tiered response to all
incidents of varying sizes promotes flexibility.
Coastal Flooding and Hurricane Response
With 600 miles of coastline surrounding
the Harbor, the threat of flooding during a
hurricane or other storm is significant. This
threat is particularly relevant in flood-prone
areas, such as Coney Island, the Rockaways,
Battery Park City and the FDR Drive. In such a
crisis, FDNY land-based resources would be
unable to rely on engines, ladders or ambulances
to reach individuals stranded in the flood waters.
This potential challenge was highlighted in 2005
by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans where
first responders found it difficult to reach people
on flooded streets.
To address this problem, FDNY relies
on each progression of the Marine Operations
tiered response. FDNY is able to leverage the
basic response tier by employing their 25
MARC flood rescue boats. MARCs are the
easiest vessels to pilot and, therefore, require the
least amount of specialized training. Firefighters
in flood-prone areas, trained by Marine
Operations, can use these boats to provide basic
emergency and rescue services to people
stranded in flooded areas.
Additionally, Marine Operations can
activate more technical and specialized tiers as
necessary. For example, rapid-response and
high-performance fireboats can fight fires in
flooded areas or supply water to land-based
units when fire hydrants are inoperable or
inaccessible.
 IV. CBRN AND HAZARDOUS MATERIAL CAPABILITIES

FDNYs Three Forty Three fireboat, which features the Harbors inter-agency command and control platform. Photo courtesy of Bill Tompkins

The ability to command and respond to the dynamic threat environment is critical to protecting
the Port of New York and New Jersey, which remains a viable and significant terrorist target.
General (Ret.) John P. Abizaid

Responding to CBRN and Hazardous military-grade CBRN filtration systems to allow

Material Incidents the boats to safely enter and operate in hot
zones. This filtration system gives FDNY a
In addition to life safety issues, CBRN
distinct advantage to enter areas where other
and hazardous materials (haz-mat)
partners are not sufficiently equipped to safely
contamination can cripple New York Citys
and effectively operate.
transportation and economic systems and, if
contamination is not contained, cause a
cascading failure. Despite advances in security Each Class 1 vessel carries chemical
and deterrence, it is essential that FDNY and its protective gear, allowing Firefighters to make
partners are focused not only on prevention, but rescues in the contaminated areas and then
also on resilience after an incident. transport victims, while performing gross or
technical decontamination on FDNYs vessels.
Responding to haz-mat incidents
Additionally, FDNY Haz-Mat crews can
requires specialized training, equipment and
mitigate hazards on the ships. In 2009, FDNY
protective gear to safely enter contaminated
was part of the integrated response to an
areas or hot zones. FDNY Marine Operations,
explosion on the chemical tanker Sichem
along with specialized land-based FDNY Haz-
Mat Operations units, offer unique capabilities Defiance. FDNY ensured the safety of all
responders as it monitored the fire risk while
to Harbor partners. FDNYs high-performance
fireboats have crew and patient cabins with full

FDNY MARINE OPERATIONS STRATEGY 11

chemicals were removed from the damaged
vessel during the 20-day incident.
Command and Control Platforms
In a larger incident, the command
structure will require a unified command
involving many individuals from different
partner organizations.
High-performance, 64-foot fireboat.
Depending on the incident, it may be
vitally important that an element of command
presence be housed safely on a boat, such as
during incidents when the damaged vessel is
pulled downstream by strong currents. Its
military-grade air filtration system, which filters
chemical, biological and radiological particles,
provides the only safe environment capable of
holding a floating, 40-person unified Command
Post during a CBRN event.
Without these resources, there would be
less command and operational collaboration and
a danger of agencies independently operating on
their own vessels. The command center offers
Blue-Force tracking (a GPS-based system) to
track Fire Department, law enforcement and
Coast Guard vessels in the Harbor. It also has
communications channels from multiple
agencies to receive and broadcast voice, video
and data feeds to ensure that decision-makers
have access to the best situational awareness
available for commanding at a major maritime
incident.
12 FDNY MARINE OPERATIONS STRATEGY
Safety Monitoring
FDNY Marine Operations plays a vital
role in monitoring and standby planning during
recovery operations to protect workers and the
public from undue risk or injury. FDNY Marine
Operations minimizes this risk by calling on the
expertise of FDNY Haz-Mat Operations. Since
every shipboard incident has the potential for a
confined-space component (due to the
composition and configuration of ship interiors),
Firefighters assigned to respond to incidents
occurring within the Citys waterways are
trained to safely operate under the unique
conditions they will face once shipboard.
Dispersing Vapor Clouds
While the initial explosions of a
chemical accident or attack can be destructive,
the subsequent vapor cloud poses an even
greater danger, which could move toward New
York Citys eight million inhabitants and
millions of visitors. FDNY controls the only
boats in the Harbor capable of pumping 50,000
gallons of water per minute to dissipate the
vapor cloud. Without this vital capability, the
Harbor partners could rely only on the wind and
weather conditions to dissipate the cloud.
Fireboat uses water streams to disperse vapor cloud.
In the case of an oil spill or leak,
fireboats can play a significant role in assisting
the Coast Guard in managing the incidents and
averting an environmental disaster. FDNY also
can provide a command and control platform for
multi-agency incident management.
V. LIFE SAFETY PREVENTION AND PROTECTION INITIATIVES

PROTECTION

Deter Mitigate Minimize

Threats Vulnerabilities Consequences

P REVENTION
PREVENTION
Detection Deterrence

Risk Assessment and Risk Reduction
As an active Harbor partner, FDNY is
integral not only in responding to incidents, but
also in helping to reduce the likelihood that an
incident will occur. Two important tools in risk
reduction are conducting risk-assessment
inspections and designing risk-mitigation plans
for critical infrastructure in or around the
Harbor, including:
Bridges and tunnels
Docks and piers
National and local landmarks
Energy storage sites or refineries
Transportation systems
As experts in life safety and fire-risk
reduction, FDNY collaborates with Harbor
partners under the NIPP to build a safer, more
secure and more resilient America by
preventing, deterring, neutralizing or mitigating
the effects of deliberate efforts by terrorists to
destroy, incapacitate or exploit elements of our
nations critical infrastructure and key
resources.
The risk assessments carried out by
FDNY Marine Operations identify threats,
vulnerabilities and consequences related to life
safety and fires. In working with structural
designers, FDNY provides guidance on the
design of new structures and improvement of
existing structures.
For example, Marine Operations
collaborated on the redesign of the Manhattan
Bridges standpipe system to allow water to be
fed from an engine or fireboat. With more than
150,000 vehicles crossing the bridge each day,
plus around-the-clock subway train movement
on the bridge, such an improvement can protect
the lives of New Yorkers and tourists on the
bridge in case of a major fire.
Expanding Harbor Detection
As a partner in The Fleet of 1000 Ships,
FDNY Marine Operations expands the Coast
Guards and law enforcements abilities to
detect, identify and respond to potential security
threats on the waterways. The fireboats are
equipped to provide radiological monitoring,
while conducting routine patrols or participating
in choke-point operations with law enforcement;
the data can be collected and analyzed centrally.

FDNY MARINE OPERATIONS STRATEGY 13

By deterring dangerous behaviors--such as
speeding and recklessness--Marine Operations
also enhances safety due to its increased
uniformed presence.
Rapid Response boat.
FDNYs diverse fleet of vessels allows
for a tiered approach to prevention and
response. Through routine patrols and by
responding to calls, FDNY actively monitors
major threats and safety concerns in the Harbor
year-round. Marine Operations also scales up
resources during peak months to ensure
patrolling coverage matches Harbor traffic.
Given the increasing proliferation and
complexity of terrorist threats, the FDNY is
well-positioned to help detect and deter threats
through its tiered response and assets.
14 FDNY MARINE OPERATIONS STRATEGY
Pre-Planned Events
With numerous large-scale, high-profile,
special events in the Harbor and on the
waterfront each year, FDNY Marine Operations
protects citizens and visitors by minimizing
accident risk and terrorist threats or
vulnerabilities. More than 450 marine-based
special events are held each year, including
Macys Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular,
which attracts more than two million spectators
as 40,000 fireworks shells are launched into the
air.
The FDNY also helps ensure life safety
at other large-scale annual events, including
Fleet Week and the New York City Marathon.
Moreover, Marine Operations also assists with
life safety plans related to the United Nations
General Assembly. Specifically, the fleets new
vessels could safely evacuate key world leaders
in its CBRN-protected cabin, if required.
FDNYs involvement in planning these
events mandates a clear plan of action in case of
accidents or threats.
Fireboat deploying multiple streams.
VI. CONCLUSION

Staten Island Box 3-3-4197, Port Mobil, February 21, 2003.

The public can depend on FDNY Marine Operations to work with its network of Harbor partners to
protect the Port of New York and New Jersey and its waterways.
FDNY Commissioner Salvatore J. Cassano

FDNY Marine Operations is committed
to remaining an active partner on the water and
providing the broader New York community
with critical life safety and firefighting
resources. The public relies on the ferries for
transportation, beaches for relaxation and
commerce from shipping for economic
prosperity. It is important that residents and
visitors know that they can depend on the
FDNY on land, as well as by sea.
FDNY is dedicated to delivering its
unique capabilities as it protects Americas
critical infrastructure and secures the homeland.
The Marine Operations strategy allows FDNY
to respond quickly and appropriately to
incidents ranging from people drowning in the
water to burning oil tankers. Since 9/11, with
funding from the City of New York, as well as
Federal dollars from the Port Security and
Urban Areas Security Initiative grant programs,
the FDNY has invested in the appropriate boats,
tools and personnel needed to address the ever-
changing national security threats and ensure
Harbor-wide resilience.
The FDNYs preparedness goals will
continue to be realized by adapting to changes
in the threat environment, reinforcing core
competencies, maintaining a steady state of
operational readiness, reducing the risks to the
City and working in concert with our Harbor
partners as the Department continues its role as
a lead innovator at the local level in the greater
homeland security network.

FDNY MARINE OPERATIONS STRATEGY 15

VII. APPENDICES
APPENDIX A: FDNY Marine Operations Vessels
TIERED CLASS I VESSELS--HIGH-PERFORMANCE FIREBOATS
High-Performance 140-foot Fireboats
Worlds largest and most technically advanced fireboat
Command and Control Center
50,000-gpm pumping capacity, 25,000-gpm underway
Military air filter-protected super-structure, crew areas
Gross technical decontamination facilities
Medical triage and treatment facilities
Thermal imaging
Speed of more than 20 mph
50-foot crane/tower-ladder boom
Fore peak tank for kneeling
Dive platform and 17-foot fast boat launch
Foam
High-Performance 65-foot Fireboat
50-mph, triple 1000-hp jets
Pumps 6000 gpm
Foam and Purple K
Protected super-structure
Thermal imaging
TIERED CLASS II VESSELS--RAPID RESPONSE FIRE AND MEDICAL RESCUE BOATS
Rapid Response 33-foot Fireboats
More than 45 mph
Triple outboards
1000 gpm
Foam
Thermal imaging
Dive capable, shallow draft
Rapid Response 31-foot Medical Boats
Twin outboards
Patient treatment bench, pass-through cabin
Drop bow, shallow draft

TIERED CLASS III VESSELSMARC FLOOD RESCUE BOATS

MARC Flood Rescue Boats
Flat-bottom boats can maneuver in shallow water,
including flooded streets and near the shoreline

16 FDNY MARINE OPERATIONS STRATEGY

APPENDIX B: Acknowledgments and References

Acknowledgments

The FDNY thanks the following contributors

for their time, dedication and insight:

Assistant Chief Joseph W. Pfeifer, Chief of Counterterrorism and Emergency Preparedness

Deputy Assistant Chief William Seelig, Chief of Special Operations Command
Battalion Chief James Dalton, Chief of Marine Operations
Battalion Chief Michael Buckheit, Marine Battalion

FDNY Editors
Captain Sean S. Newman, Center for Terrorism and Disaster Preparedness
Janet Kimmerly, Editor, WNYF
Jenny Holland, Office of the Fire Commissioner

From Harvard Business School

Ophelia Roman
Jacob Cusak
Scott DeVos
James Eastham
Jonathan Grzyb, II
Jeffrey Katzin
Eric Lampe
Matthew McKnight
Forbes McPherson

References

The Marine Operations Strategy format and content closely adhere to the planning guidelines described
in the following documents: National Response Plan; National Incident Management System (NIMS);
National Preparedness Goal; National Planning Scenarios; Universal Task List; Target Capabilities
List; National Infrastructure Protection Plan; State and Urban Area Homeland Security Strategy:
Guidance on Aligning Strategies with the National Preparedness Goal; Homeland Security Grant
Program; National Response Framework; and New York City Office of Emergency Managements
Citywide Incident Management System (CIMS).

FDNY MARINE OPERATIONS STRATEGY 17